Lens Selector

ABSTRACT

A lens selector for selectively exposing one camera lens and covering other camera lenses of a cell phone or the like is shown and described. The lens selector comprises a base which grips the cell phone and a lens cover movable between two or more positions. The lens cover may slide along the base when moving between positions. An arm resiliently biased into an engaged positions may lock the lens cover into a selected position on the base. The lens selector may substantially cover that side of the cell phone having lenses, and may grip edges of the cell phone. The lens selector may include a socket for centering an associated cell phone with respect to an optical device such as a spotting scope, so that the cell phone may capture images visible through the scope.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an accessory for a hand heldtelecommunications device having a plurality of camera lenses, and moreparticularly, to a device for revealing one selected camera lens andobstructing other camera lenses of the hand held telecommunicationsdevice.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hand held telecommunications devices such as cellular telephones havecome to be provided with onboard cameras to expand their capabilities.In a further development, a cellular telephone or the like may have morethan one onboard camera. Where the latter condition prevails, it may bedesirable to expose one lens for use, while obstructing remaininglenses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an accessory readily attachable to acellular telephone or the like, which accessory enables selectiveexposure and obstruction of camera lenses. The lens selector comprises abase which may grip the cellular telephone at edges of the latter, and alens cover movable between two or more positions. The lens cover mayslide along the base when moving between positions. An arm resilientlybiased into an engaged positions may lock the lens cover into a selectedposition on the base. The lens selector may substantially cover thatside of the cell phone having lenses, and leave an opposing side mostlyuncovered.

This may be utilized for example in placing camera elements of acellular telephone appropriately over an optical device such as a scope.The lens selector may center the camera of the cellular telephone withrespect to an eyepiece of the scope. Images that would ordinarily beseen by an observer can thus be recorded in their entirety, due tocentering the camera relative to the scope.

The present invention provides improved elements and arrangementsthereof by apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive,dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an environmental, exploded, perspective view of a lensselector, according to at least aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, enlarged detail view of a latching arm seen inthe uppermost component of FIG. 1, but also in corresponding structuresin FIG. 3 and;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a lens selector similar infunction to that of FIG. 1, but configured for use with a cellulartelephone different from that illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the lens selector of FIG. 1, but showingthe components assembled together;

FIG. 5 is a side view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the lens selector of FIG. 3, but shown withcomponents assembled;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of FIG. 1, showing the two major componentsof the subject lens selector appropriately aligned for assembly;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the components of FIG. 7 after assembly,and more particularly, illustrating a first viewing position utilizingone of two cameras;

FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 8, but shows a second viewing positionutilizing another one of two cameras; and

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic environmental side view showing application ofthe novel lens selector to the task of aligning the camera of a cellularphone with respect to an associated viewing scope.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring first to FIG. 1, according to at least one aspect of theinvention, there is shown a lens selector 100 for selecting one ofplural camera lenses 12, 14 of a hand held communications device 10 tobe deployed and covering at least another one of the plural cameralenses 12, 14 when lens selector 100 is in an operative position coupledto hand held communications device 10. Lens selector 100 may comprise alens cover 102 including an exposure port 104 dimensioned and configuredto expose one of the plural camera lenses 12, 14, and a panel 106 forcovering every other one of plural camera lenses 12, 14. Lens selector100 may comprise a base 108 dimensioned and configured to be retained onhand held communications device 10 by partial envelopment thereof. Base108 may include a grip structure 110 configured to surroundably engagehand held communications device 10 when lens selector 100 is in theoperative position.

Lens selector 100 may comprise a coupling 112A, 112B configured tocouple lens cover 102 to base 108 in the first viewing position whereinlens cover 102 exposes a selected one of plural camera lenses 12, 14 andcovers other ones of plural camera lenses 12, 14, and is movable to thesecond viewing position wherein lens cover 102 exposes another selectedone of plural camera lenses 10, 12 and covers other ones of pluralcamera lenses 10, 12. Camera lenses 12, 14 may have differentcharacteristics, such as focal length, so that for any given situation,one lens 12 or 14 may be more desirable to use than the other.

Lens selector 100 may comprise a viewing position latch 114A, 114Bconfigured to adjustably secure lens cover 102 in a selected one of thefirst viewing position and the second viewing position.

Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “first”, “second”, etc., are usedherein merely as labels, and are not intended to impose ordinal,positional, or hierarchical requirements on the items to which theseterms refer. Moreover, reference to, e.g., a “second” item does noteither require or preclude the existence of, e.g., a “first” orlower-numbered item, and/or, e.g., a “third” or higher-numbered item.

FIG. 4 shows lens cover 102 assembled to or installed on base 108 in anexemplary operative position of lens cover 102 relative to base 108.FIGS. 7-9 illustrate first and second viewing positions. FIG. 7 showsfirst and second camera lenses 12 and 14, and a flash source 18 betweenlenses 12 and 14. In FIG. 8, in a first viewing position, lens cover 102has been centered over camera lens 14, and camera lens 12 has beenobstructed. In FIG. 9, in a second viewing position, lens cover 102 hasbeen repositioned upwardly, now centered over first camera lens 12, withsecond camera lens 14 now obstructed.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary application of lens selector 100, whereinhand held communications device 10 is to be used in conjunction with aspotting scope 20. Lens cover 102 includes a socket (represented ascircular wall 122, FIGS. 7-9) located and configured so that exposureport 104 is centered within the socket, and the socket may be centeredwith respect to an eyepiece 22 of an optical device (e.g., spottingscope 20). It may be necessary to provide an adapter 24 to enablecoupling of the socket represented as circular wall 122 with eyepiece22. When the components of FIG. 10 are assembled, hand heldcommunications device 10 may be utilized to capture images visiblethrough spotting scope 20, while selecting an appropriate one of lenses12 and 14.

Although cellular telephones (e.g., cell phone 10) today may have twocameras, it is contemplated that in the future, they may have additionalcameras (not shown).

Exposure port 104 in lens cover 102 has a corresponding port 116 in base108 (see FIG. 1).

Referring also to FIG. 2, the viewing position latch comprises abendable arm 114A on one of lens cover 102 and base 108, a first latchhole 114B and a second latch hole 114B on another one of lens cover 102and base 108. Bendable arm 114A may comprise a projection 114C (see FIG.2) configured to be received selectively within either latch hole 114Bin an engaged condition, and to withdraw from latch hole 114B in adisengaged condition. Due to inherent characteristics of its constituentmaterial, bendable arm 114A may be resiliently biased toward the engagedposition shown in FIG. 4. For example, base 108 and lens cover 102 maycomprise a synthetic polymeric constituent material such asacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Of course, other materials may beused as the constituent material.

Although it would be possible to couple bendable arm 114A to base 108,in the examples of lens selector 100 illustrated herein, bendable arm114A is on lens cover 102.

As shown herein, grip structure 110 may comprise four structures, eachat one corner of hand held communications device 10. Grip structure 110thereby intrudes only minimally on the entire assembly of hand heldcommunications device 10 when lens selector 100 is assembled thereto, asshown in FIG. 4. Additionally, grip structure 110 engages edges 16 ofhand held communications device 10 (see FIG. 1). Note from FIG. 3 thatbase 108 may have a peripheral wall 120 extending along edge 16 of handheld communications device 10.

FIG. 5 is a side view of FIG. 4, but with hand held communicationsdevice 10 shown in dashed lines. It will be appreciated from FIG. 5 thatbase 108, when retained on hand held communications device 10, leaves atleast ninety percent of one side of hand held communications device 10uncovered.

Coupling 112A, 112B may comprise a slide track 112B for slidablyreceiving lens cover 102 such that lens cover 102 is slidably movable tothe first viewing position and to the second viewing position, directionof slidable motion being indicated by arrow 118 in FIG. 3. In thisexample, slide track 112B is on base 108. Lens cover 102 comprises slidetrack projections 112A (FIG. 1) configured to be slidably receivedwithin slide track 112B and to constrain lens cover 102 to slide alongslide track 112B.

Lens cover 102 has been presented as being linearly slidable along base108. Those of skill in the art will recognize that other arrangementsare possible. For example, alternatively, lens cover 102 could bearranged to rotate or to snap fit to base 108 or otherwise attach tobase 108 (these options are not shown). Also, lens cover 102 may betethered to base 108 (not shown).

Exposure port 104 and its corresponding port 116 in base 108 couldcomprise translucent or transparent windows (none shown) if desired.

Base 108 has been presented as covering only one side of hand heldcommunications device 10. Base 108 could fully envelop hand heldcommunications device 10 if desired, thereby performing additional dutyas a carrying or protective case (this option is not shown).

It will be appreciated that although description of the invention hasbeen presented with reference to application to a cellular telephone,those of skill in the art will recognize that the novel lens selectormay be utilized with other devices, such as scanners and readers.

While the present invention has been described in connection with whatis considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to beunderstood that the present invention is not to be limited to thedisclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangementswhich are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possibleinterpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass allmodifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.

I claim:
 1. A lens selector for selecting one of plural camera lenses ofa hand held communications device to be deployed and covering at leastanother one of the plural camera lenses when the lens selector is in anoperative position coupled to the hand held communications device, thelens selector comprising: a lens cover including an exposure portdimensioned and configured to expose one of the plural camera lenses,and a panel for covering every other one of the plural camera lenses; abase dimensioned and configured to be retained on the hand heldcommunications device by partial envelopment thereof, the base includinga grip structure configured to surroundably engage the hand heldcommunications device when the lens selector is in the operativeposition; a coupling configured to couple the lens cover to the base inthe first viewing position wherein the lens cover exposes a selected oneof the plural camera lenses and covers other ones of the plural cameralenses, and is movable to the second viewing position wherein the lenscover exposes another selected one of the plural camera lenses andcovers the other ones of the plural camera lenses; and a viewingposition latch configured to adjustably secure the lens cover in aselected one of the first viewing position and the second viewingposition.
 2. The lens selector of claim 1, wherein the viewing positionlatch comprises a bendable arm on one of the lens cover and the base, alatch hole on another one of the lens cover and the base, the bendablearm comprises a projection configured to be received within the latchhole in an engaged condition, and to withdraw from the latch hole in adisengaged condition.
 3. The lens selector of claim 2, wherein thebendable arm is resiliently biased toward the engaged position.
 4. Thelens selector of claim 2, wherein the bendable arm is on the lens cover.5. The lens selector of claim 1, wherein the coupling comprises a slidetrack for slidably receiving the lens cover such that the lens cover isslidably movable to the first viewing position and to the second viewingposition.
 6. The lens selector of claim 5, wherein the slide track is onthe base, and the lens cover comprises slide track projectionsconfigured to be slidably received within the slide track and toconstrain the lens cover to slide along the slide track.
 7. The lensselector of claim 1, wherein the grip structure engages edges of thehandheld communications device.
 8. The lens selector of claim 7, whereinthe base, when retained on the hand held communications device, leavesat least ninety percent of one side of the hand held communicationsdevice uncovered.
 9. The lens selector of claim 1, wherein the lenscover includes a socket located and configured so that the exposure portis centered within the socket, and the socket may be centered withrespect to an eyepiece of an optical device.
 10. The lens selector ofclaim 1, wherein the base and the lens cover comprise a syntheticpolymeric constituent material.